IRON MAN 3 – It is just the man this time.

Remember the awesome feeling you get after watching your favorite superhero movie? Recall it and don’t expect to experience it at the end of this IRON MAN installment.

The movie with so much expected out of it, falls flat with the opening dialogue of the movie. Tony Stark talks about hearing something from his old man, and tells us to forget it. That pretty much sets the tone of the movie. Confusing between whether you have come to watch your favourite alter ego, his suit and in recent times the best super hero between Batman and Wolverine, or a guy who is too confused about who he is?.

Coming to the story part of it. America again and in larger scheme of things the entire world is threatened by a terrorist, who goes by the name of Mandarin. After series of attacks, especially in America, he strikes close to Stark’s heart, who is suffering anxiety issues after the New York aftermath (Avengers story). Tony Stark being Tony Stark challenges him (the funny way of threatening your enemy, watch out for it). With the nice mix of another antagonist, Mandarin sets out to destroy the Iron Man and take control of the world. The attack leads the way for Tony Stark to rediscover himself. Is he what he is because of the suit? Or is it other way around?

If you are expecting Bruce Wayne kind of revival from The Dark Knight Returns, you are bound to be disappointed. That’s because the story never really takes off. It keeps going through the motions, where our hero is inspired by a single line told to him by a kid which changes his approach to saving the world. The approach he takes? Walk into the villain’s den with some cool science toys (not gadgets). It’s a too small turning point for such a big movie franchise.

Robert Downey Jr. does what he is good at, using his charm but sleep walks through the movie. But the poor screenplay and script makes it feel as though this is his worst in recent times. Gwyenth Paltrow gets more screen time than the previous movies and makes her presence felt. Ben Kingsley and Don Cheadle’s potential are wasted. Guy Pearce as a scientist who is insulted by Stark is just another villain. Rebecca Hall is ok In her role as an yet another scientist.

The background score and screenplay are pretty bland and fail to inspire. Makers failed to learn from the mistakes of Iron Man 2. Jon Favreau (who continues in this movie as just as Happy Hogan, not as the director) would have given us a better product than the current helmer Shane Black. The action sequences are nothing new from any other action movies or the earlier installments and having so many suits around defeats the purpose of a superhero status. 

You rooting for your superhero/Robert Downey Jr and waiting for them to inspire you the way they did in the first installment is the only thing that makes make you sit through the movie.

Hoping that there are no more further installments to tarnish the legend of IRON MAN, I am going with 1.5 out of 5. Watch it if you are hard core IRON MAN fan to fulfill that longing feeling of seeing more of him.